Apple Inc., already sold out of new iPads at its online store, could sell 1 million in a day when the product is released to retail stores, U.S. analysts say.

Analyst Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray made the estimate, which -- if accurate -- indicates the total could far outstrip first-day sales figures for the original iPad and would exceed those of the iPad 2, CNET.com reported Monday.

While consumers could pre-order the new iPad online for delivery by Friday, delays started to pop up and, by last Friday, Apple was announcing delays ranging from three days to three weeks.

Apple told CNET customer response "has been off the charts."

The 1 million retail sales estimate could turn out to be conservative, analysts say, as the new iPad -- with a higher-resolution display, a faster processor, a 4G LTE connection and a better camera -- is being launched in more markets around the world than the first two iPad models.

The iPad's momentum is on an upward trajectory similar to that seen with the iPhone as it moved from one generation to the next, Munster said.

Nokia said working on Windows 8 tablet
San Francisco (UPI) Mar 12, 2012 - Finland's Nokia is developing a tablet computer that will run Windows 8, a strategy Dell also is pursuing, DigiTimes reported.

The tablet will run on a dual-core processor and have a 10-inch display, supplier sources told DigiTimes, saying Nokia appears to be aiming to ship the tablet in the fourth quarter of 2012 at the earliest.

Talk of a Windows tablet began percolating as far back as April when Nokia Chief Executive Officer Stephen Elop said the Finnish company was assessing its tablet strategy, PC Magazine reported.

"We have to take a uniquely Nokia prospective and so the teams are working very hard on something that would be differentiating relative to everything else that's going on in the market," Elop said in an interview on Finnish television, suggesting a Windows-powered tablet could compete with Apple's iPad and Android tablets from various companies.

Nokia and Microsoft announced a partnership last year that will see Nokia phasing out its own operating systems and focusing on Windows Phone for its cellphone offerings, a move that would suggest a logical expansion from phones to a Windows tablet, PC Magazine said.

Last week Dell CEO Michael Dell announced his company's plans to produce a Windows 8 tablet aimed at the business market.